HS2: Delay

Lord Stoneham of Droxford Excerpts

Friday 10th March 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

First, I will deal with the issue of the Statement being issued yesterday. There was some excitement in the media about this, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State thought it best to put out a Statement. I fully accept that it is regrettable that it was delivered at the time it was. That was probably not in the best interests of either House; be that as it may, that is what happened. Secondly, on the question of the Crewe to Manchester route, we are committed to bringing high-speed infrastructure to Manchester as soon as possible, and we are not changing our assumptions on when the phase 2b western leg will be delivered.

[Lord Stoneham of Droxford (LD)]

My Lords, is this Statement not yet another sign of the Government levelling down rather than levelling up? It is a carefully crafted Statement drafted to let us down gently. Delays always raise costs and do not save money, and they go against the need for consistent capital spending to help sustain vital growth. What is the consequence for the Barnett spending formula for Wales now that the benefits of HS2 for Wales are being pushed further back and may now never happen?

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

My Lords, in the current economic climate, the Government are taking an honest and very pragmatic view. We have to realise the circumstances that we find ourselves in at the moment. On the Barnett consequences for Wales, I am afraid that I do not have those sorts of figures in front of me, but I will ensure that the noble Lord gets an answer to that question.